Brookline

Legend has it that Brookline was named for its location between the brooks that formed the borders of the town. Like many Boston-area municipalities, Brookline was a “streetcar suburb” that saw fast growth in population after streetcars were introduced to carry workers into Boston in the late 1800s. Today, Brookline lies just across Boston’s border from the Back Bay neighborhood, making it an easy commute for residents who work in Boston. It has a reputation as a refuge of the wealthy and a city with a concentration of Israeli and Jewish people, but is fairly economically and ethnically diverse, according to U.S. Census information. The Brookline District Court, located at 360 Washington Street, is the district court serving Brookline residents and does not handle cases involving residents of other cities.

Since the Law Office of Stephen Neyman opened in 1990, our attorneys have represented residents of Brookline and many other Greater Boston municipalities. Our office handles all types of crimes, from drunk driving and drug charges to serious, violent crimes and sex crimes. We can also handle related criminal defense issues such as probation violations, bail hearings and other matters that are not new charges. Frequently, these matters require quick action in order to protect the legal rights of the accused, minimize negative publicity and other damage and lay the groundwork for a successful defense. Attorney Stephen Neyman has the experience and knowledge to take quick action when it’s needed and stick with the case to resolve it successfully, whether that means a not guilty verdict or negotiations for a favorable outcome without a trial.

The short answer to this question is yes. The Brookline District Court is a small, one judge court. There are no jury trials conducted in this court. If you want your case tried before a jury then the matter will be transferred to Dedham. Being familiar with the judge’s proclivities is important when making the decision of where to go to trial on your case. This is not to say that lawyers who do not defend many cases in Brookline cannot adequately represent you. Good lawyers can do a good job for their clients anywhere. However, in a small court it might benefit you to retain someone who regularly defends cases in Brookline.

We do. All the time. Thousands of undergraduate and graduate students attending local colleges and universities live in Brookline. The students we have represented in Brookline have been charged with all types of crimes. Many of these clients did not even know that they had a pending criminal case. Notice for misdemeanor cases usually originates with a summons. Students are notorious for forgetting to update their driver’s licenses and residential information. So, when they get charged with a crime the summons goes to their last known address. Often this is not their actual address. The result is the issuance of a complaint and a default in the court. Years later, when trying to renew a driver’s license, or when applying for a job, the default appears and the person has to go into the Brookline Court to remove the default and defend the case. Countless times these people have called us and we have gone into court and resolved the case for them. Sometimes we can do this without the client needing to appear.

When you’ve been accused of a crime, time matters. The earlier an experienced criminal defense lawyer can step in, the better the chance of defending the charges with minimal effects on your life. Being accused of a crime is always emotionally difficult, for families as well as the accused themselves. In some cases, it can also generate substantial negative effects -- unexpected time away from work and loss of income, negative publicity, even snap judgments by neighbors and acquaintances. The Law Office of Stephen Neyman works to stop or minimize those negative effects and get our clients the best possible outcome. Stephen Neyman has practiced law for more than two decades and understands how prosecutors build their cases, so we have the experience as well as the legal knowledge to get the best possible outcome.

To visit the Law Offices of Stephen Neyman by car, Brookline citizens should take Route 9/Huntington Avenue east until it becomes Stuart Street. From there, turn left at Charles Street, right onto Beacon Street, continue onto School Street, left at Washington Street, right at Water Street and right onto Congress Street. Using the T, take the Green Line from Brookline Village Station inbound to Government Center Station. From there, it’s a short walk to Congress Street.